The Real Happy Tree Friends
by ConkerMaster3737
Summary: Ever wonder about what the HTF do in their spare time? Read to find out! CxG
1. Love at First Sight

**The Real HTF**

**Prologue**

Hello, reader! It's me, Cuddles! If you don't know who I am, I'm one of the many characters from the hit internet show, _Happy Tree Friends_ (also known as HTF). If you haven't seen it yet, I have three words for you: Don't even bother. The show is extremely violent. If you have seen it, there's something that I need to tell all you fans. None of that really happens to me! For all the death scenes, the entire cast has stunt triples! Not doubles, triples! However, the relationships that I have built with the rest of the cast are real. Just wanted to get that out of the way! Here's a story I wrote about the real truth of what you guys know as _Happy Tree Friends_!

**Chapter 1: Love at first sight**

"I won't do it!" Cuddles, a small, yellow furred rabbit shouted. "I won't!"

"Come on, Cuddles," said his best friend, Handy, a short, handsome beaver. Cuddles had been friends with Handy since he could remember. They did anything for each other, and even bailed each other out when they needed to. They were friends to the end; and that's how they loved it! However, sometimes Handy gets a little out of control for Cuddle's liking. Today, he wanted to have Cuddles to jump off the high dive at the lake in Happy Tree Forest. The name comes from an ancient tree that has indentations of a person smiling at the town's entrance. Cuddles had many fears, and thanks to Handy, Cuddles begrudgingly conquered them, except for heights. "If we can get over the dark, we can get over this too!" Handy was very persistent.

"Can't we just enjoy this nice day out?" asked Cuddles. "I thought we were going to meet a group of your friends."

"They won't be arriving for another hour, so I thought we might do this now!" said Handy. "How bad can it be? You land in the water?"

"What if I slip off the board and knock myself out?" Cuddles worried. "I don't have stunt doubles anymore!"

"I know, but…" Handy started. He was running out of ideas. Cuddles was very persuasive when it come to his fears. "Do you want me to go first?"

"Would you?" Cuddles asked. "Maybe seeing you dive will inspire me."

"Do you promise to dive after I do?" Handy asked.

"Yes, I do," agreed Cuddles nervously. He never broke a promise, especially to a friend like Handy. Handy climbed up the metal ladder and stood on the board that towered over the small figure of Cuddles and the other swimmers below. After a few seconds of concentration, Handy dived off. He even managed to flip once in the air before splashing into the lake. A good ten seconds passed after he had landed and Cuddles began to worry, but his head popped above the surface.

"Ready, Cuddles?" Handy asked spraying water from his mouth.

"I guess so," Cuddles responded hesitantly. He slowly climbed up the ladder, and stood at the top. Cuddles was mesmerized by the view. He could see the entire lake, over the treetops and even see the northern mountains in the far distance. After a minute of hesitation, he did it. He jumped off the diving board and managed to flip twice in the air. When he landed in the water, Handy got more soaked than he was before! Cuddles popped his head out of the water, and when he did, there was a group of about ten people surrounding him and applauding him. It was the largest, strongest, and most powerful splash they had seen in years! Cuddles caught his eye on a small, pink chipmunk. He started staring and daydreaming. He had never felt like this before.

"Cuddles?" Handy asked. "Are you okay?"

Cuddles nodded ever so slightly to give a safety signal, but he was practically hypnotized by this chipmunk.

"I haven't felt better, Handy," Cuddles said slowly. He then noticed that she was coming his way. He straightened himself and tried not to appear too eager.

"Hello there," Cuddles said to the chipmunk.

"That was a great dive before, Cuddles," she said.

"You know me?" asked Cuddles stunned.

"I went to school with you in first grade," she replied.

"I remember now!" Cuddles realized. "Your name is Giggles, right?"

"Yes, it is!" Giggles answered. "How's it been?"

"It's been fine," Cuddles responded. "Do you want to stay and meet my friend Handy and his friends?"

"Sure, Cuddles," she agreed. They both walked towards the deep end, and, both unknowing to each other, they both were thinking the same thing: _This will be the start of something big._


	2. New Friends

**The Real HTF**

Chapter 2: Friend Connections

Cuddles and Giggles we walking slowly over to the diving area. Cuddles couldn't believe that he knew Giggles before. The both started reminiscing the past.

"Try to jog my memory, Giggles," Cuddles started. "Were you "popular" in the first grade?"

"How could you forget, Cuddles?" Giggles asked in amazement. "I was elected class president for the first half of the year!"

"We were in the same class?" Cuddles asked. He may be a good diver, but not one that remembers very well.

"Don't you remember?" she asked, more stunned than before. "You kept calling me "The Green Queen"!"

"I did?" he asked. The rabbit didn't remember it at all. Was she mistaking him for someone else?

"Wow, Cuddles, your memory is shot," she responded.

"It was such a long time ago, Giggles," he started "And that stupid show we did practically brainwashed me!"

"Don't even mention _Happy Tree Friends_ to me," she said sternly. "That was a waste of ten years."

"What was a waste of ten years?" a voice asked. It was none other than Handy.

"That show as we know as _Happy Tree Friends_," Cuddles replied. "I think you might remember Giggles, won't you, Handy." That sounded a lot better in his mind.

"Yeah, I do!" Handy said. "It's been a while, Giggles!"

"I see your hands grew back in," Giggles said. In _Happy Tree Friends,_ Handy was an armless building designer. He was supposed to show that _even though he has a disability, he can still get around with everyone else. _At least that is what _Mondo Media_ said. From his point of view, it was just one of the many cover-ups for all the violence.

"Very funny," Handy said in an un-amused tone. He didn't like the show either.

"Want to see me dive again?" Cuddles asked. He was feeling very confident in himself.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Handy asked

"Are you kidding?" Cuddles asked surprised. He climbed up the ladder and stood at the top. After a few seconds, he dived off, doing a double helix on his way down. Again, even though Handy and Giggles were out of the pool, they got soaked with water! Cuddle's head popped above the surface to reveal Handy and Giggles as well as a few other people applauding him; just like they did last time.

"_He's_ your friend?" asked Flippy, one of Handy's friends, who had arrived in time to see the epic dive.

"His name is Cuddles," Handy responded.

"I remember him!" said Flippy. "He was in that show that we did!"

"Flippy?" Cuddles asked clearing water out of his eyes. "Is that you?"

"The one and only," he said. He played a short-tempered bear in the series.

"Nice to see you not flipping out," Cuddles said as a joke.

"Keep talking about it and I _will_ flip out," he snapped. If anyone hated _Happy Tree Friends_, it was him.

"Want to grab something for lunch?" Handy asked. "I'm starving."

"Sure, I could use a break," said Cuddles. "You guys up for it?"

"Let's go!" Giggles and Flippy said.


	3. A Lunch to Remember

**The Real HTF**

Chapter 3: A Lunch to Remember

The quartet of Cuddles, Giggles, Handy, and Flippy all piled into Flippy's car and drove to their favorite place: _Flippin' Burgers._ Despite the fact that it was the restaurant that was used in _Happy Tree Friends_, this is where the quartet met up before the show even started.

"So, how's it been, Flippy?" asked Handy in the passenger seat.

"Since the show has come to a standstill, I have been able to meet up with Flaky," he replied. Flaky was a red porcupine who was his lover in the show, and lover in real life.

"I wish I could say the same," Cuddles said under his breath. After the show, he had only hung out with Handy. Not that there's anything wrong with that, he loved to hang out with his friends, but he wanted to find a date. He wasn't able to find anyone, until now.

"What was that, Cuddles?" asked Handy. He had heard Cuddles.

"Nothing!" he said. The conversation between Handy and Flippy continued.

"So, how's it been these days, Giggles?" he asked. "All work and no play?"

"You could say that," Giggles responded. "After the show was over, I went to Handy's house, but he was out with someone. So I went to Flippy's house and he was out with someone else too! I tried to hang out with other groups of people, but everyone seemed to shrug me off. I told people that I was from _Happy Tree Friends_ and that I might be able to get them onto the show, but that didn't work either!"

"The same thing happened to me!" Cuddles said.

"It did?" she asked.

"I guess everyone was peeved that the show was canceled," he said.

"The show is _canceled_?" she asked. "We only lasted three seasons!"

"We have been banned from Russia for being too violent," Cuddles said.

"I hate Mondo Media," she grumbled.

"We're here!" Flippy shouted.

"Great!" everyone else said. The Quartet jumped out of the car and into the place, where they saw yet another cast member from the show. It was Petunia, who played the role of Giggle's best friend. They forgot that she still worked here.

"Hey, everyone!" Petunia shouted. "It's the HTF gang!" All of a sudden, the entire place erupted into an explosion of applause. From other cast members to people that they didn't even know, they all had watched their show before, and loved it!

"Thanks, guys!" shouted Cuddles over the roaring crowd. As they were walking towards the counter, everyone was staring at them. The "HTF Gang" as they put it started acting cool. They had no idea how famous they were!

"Cuddles, you're the cutest!" shouted a fan.

"Well…" Cuddles started. He liked sounding modest.

"Flippy, I love you!" shouted another fan.

"Right back at you, bro," Flippy said coolly.

"Handy, do the frustrated thing!" said yet another fan. Then, the whole room went silent. In the show, when he couldn't do something because of his hands, he would grunt and give a frustrated look. Another person put a salt shaker in front of Handy. Handy pretended that he had no hands again, and tried to reach out for the salt shaker. When he couldn't do it, he gave his signature look and grunt. The whole room again exploded with applause.

"Giggles, would you make me a glass of your lemonade?" said another fan. One of the episodes involved a lemonade stand. I don't think I should go into detail.

"I'll see what I can do!" Giggles responded.

"What'll it be, guys?" asked Petunia.

"The usual," Handy said

"Coming right up!" she said.

"Who knew we were so famous?" Cuddles asked. Maybe the pressure on Cuddles and Giggles was lifting.


	4. Paparazzi Ambush

**The Real HTF**

Chapter 4: Paparazzi Ambush

The four of them collected their meals and sat down at the only empty table, which was right in the middle of all the fans. Cuddles was starting to get uncomfortable, but didn't show it. Almost everyone was surrounding Cuddles trying to ask him questions or feel his fur.

"Cuddles, was that really you who got killed all those times?" asked a fan holding a tape recorder.

"Cuddles, can I hug you?" said another fan.

"Cuddles, can you get _me_ on HTF?" asked numerous people. While Cuddles had a large group around him, Handy had a group of his own. Everyone kept asking him to give his frustrated look, while other people asked him how they made him look like he had no hands.

Flippy, had fewer people surrounding him, but he still got pounded with questions.

"Flippy, is Flaky really your crush?" someone asked.

"Hey, everyone!" someone shouted over the bustling crowd. "Who wants to see Flippy "Flip out" for us?" Everyone started cheering and chanting "Flippy! Flippy!" Then, someone made a sound mimicking a gunshot. The type of gunshot that made Flippy flip out in the series. In the show, Flippy supposedly fought in the Vietnam War. His experience was worse than anything he had ever gone through. So, anything that has anything to do with war, he would flip out and kill everyone in sight. He had indeed, hear the gunshot, and started flipping out. Everyone backed away as he started bouncing off the walls and charging at people with salt and pepper shakers. Then, after five minutes, he calmed down and took in the explosion of applause that was for him. Then, everyone raced back to the Quartets' table.

While everyone crowded around Cuddles, Handy, and Flippy, barely anyone came to Giggles. A few people had asked about the whole "Cuddles & Giggles" topic, but that was about it.

"Everyone is going to have to disperse!" shouted Cuddles over the crowd. He couldn't take all the touching and questions anymore.

"Can't we talk to the other people?" asked a fan.

"Why don't you talk to my friend, Giggles?" he suggested.

"Giggles is here?" said another fan.

"She's right next to me," Cuddles said. Then, about half of the swarm of people that was around Cuddles went to Giggles and started asking her hundreds of questions.

"How's it been with Cuddles, lately?" asked a fan.

"Have you tried to get HTF back on the air in Russia?" asked someone else. The questions continued for the entire meal. Eventually, they had to leave, even though some of the fans blocked the exits. Flippy was the first one out because he found a window to climb out of, but it was a good half hour before the rest of the gang came out. Once they were all together again, they flew into Flippy's car and sped off like a speeding bullet.

"Hey, guys?" said Flippy.

"Yeah?" said the rest of the group.

"I think we're a little _too_ famous," He said

"At least it's over, now," said Cuddles with a sigh of relief. Cuddles was beat, but he wasn't the only one. Everyone was drained of energy after their ambush.

"Hey, do you guys want to crash at my place tonight?" offered Handy.

"Sure!" everyone else said with excitement. It had been a while since the gang was at Handy's house.

"I know where to go," said Flippy making a turn onto Pine Ave.

"It'll be a mini cast reunion!" said Cuddles excitedly.

"I could ask Petunia if she could make it after her shift," suggested Giggles.

"That would be great!" said Handy.

She reached for her cell phone. When she flipped it open, she noticed that the battery was low. No sooner did the screen flash: RECHARGE PHONE and turn off.

"Darn it!" she shouted. "Hey, Cuddles, could I use your phone, mine just died."

"Mine is at home charging," Cuddles said.

"You can call her on my phone at my house," said Handy.

"Thanks!" Giggles said. The drive was silent until they stopped at a red light. A familiar truck pulled up next to the Quartet. Cuddles could hear the theme song to _Happy Tree Friends_ playing on the truck's radio. Then the truck's window rolled down revealing Pop and his son, Cub in the front seat. In the show, Pop played an irresponsible Father: his actions often put his son's life in jeopardy.

"Hey there, Pop," said Handy.

"How's it going, Handy?" Pop asked.

"Daddy?" asked Cub, who was very young for casting in a show such as HTF. "Why we listen to stupid show song?" Cub wasn't very good at English yet.

"I don't know," said Pop. "Listen to your iPad, instead." Cub got a lot of expensive merchandise from starring in the show.

"Hi, Handy. Hi, Flippy. Hi, Giggles. Hi, Cuddles," Cub said.

"Hi, Cub!" said the Quartet.

"Would you like to come over to my place for a sleepover?" asked Handy.

"Well, I don't know," said Cub. "I have to ask Daddy."

"And Daddy says we can't," said Pop. "We have to go home and set up the house for some other cast members that are arriving tomorrow."

"But, Daddy!" Cub whined.

"I'll come over with Cub tomorrow and help you set up," offered Cuddles.

"Me too!" added Flippy.

"Please, Daddy!" Cub begged.

"Well…" Pop started.

"C'mon Pop!" said Handy. "We'll have so much fun!"

"Okay, but we need to stop home first to get a sleeping bag for Cub," Pop agreed.

"Thanks, Daddy!" Cub exclaimed.

Pop closed the window, ending the discussion between the Quartet and duo. Flippy looked up to see that the light had turned green and continued the drive to Handy's house. The gang had been silent for what seemed like hours, until Cuddles broke the silence.

"Hey, Handy?" asked Cuddles.

"Yes, Cuddles?" Handy asked back.

"Me and Giggles would like to have a sleeping bag next to each other," Cuddles said nervously.

"Shouldn't that be: _Giggles and I_?" Handy corrected. Handy was very picky when it came to speaking proper English.

"I guess so," said Cuddles puzzled. "Anyway, do you mind?"

"Why should I?" Handy asked. "If you guys want to snuggle up together, what can I do about it?"

"I didn't say I wanted to do that!" exclaimed Cuddles, but he was lying through his teeth.

"But you didn't say that you didn't want to do that," said Handy. He could read Cuddles like a book.

"Do what?" asked Giggles, pretending not to have heard the argument.

"Nothing, Giggles," Cuddles lied.

"We're here!" shouted Flippy. The quartet jumped out of the car and walked into Handy's house. Flippy was about to turn the doorknob when Handy blocked the entrance.

"I want to welcome you," Handy started in a professional tone, "to the home of Handy the Beaver!" He then opened the door to reveal the inside of the house, and what was inside, made Cuddles, Giggles, and Flippy's jaws drop through the floor.


	5. Handy's House

**The Real HTF**

Chapter 5: Handy's House

"How did you get all _this!_" asked Cuddles, shocked out of his mind, as was the whole gang. Handy's house was looked like a king's palace. There was a huge picture of Handy holding a toolbox overflowing with money. The portrait was hanging over a huge wood burning fireplace, which, even though it wasn't lit, made the whole room glow with exuberance. The entry rug was made of 100% silk (at least that's was Handy said), and he had a bunch of gold collectables on the dozens of shelves in his living room.

"This is…" Giggles began.

"Awesome?" Cuddles suggested.

"Epic?" suggested Flippy.

"Awesomely epic?" the trio said.

"Call it what you want," Handy said. "But I call it living a dream." Handy walked away from the stunned trio and lied down on his gold-colored couch, head on one arm, feet on the other. "So, what would you like to do?" he asked. "I have a High-Def television, I have one of those Nintendo® Wii systems, and I even have all the seasons of _Happy Tree Friends_, _House, _and _Glee_."

"You watch _Glee_?" Cuddles asked.

"Not as often as I used to," Handy said, embarrassed. This was one of his secrets that he really didn't want anyone to know.

"How about we listen to music until Pop and Cub arrive?" Flippy suggested.

"Ok, you guys agree?" Handy asked. Cuddles and Giggles nodded. Handy turned on the radio.

After a while, Handy and Flippy were falling asleep while the song _Just the Way You Are_ by Billy Joel came on the radio. Cuddles listened to this song a lot. He knew the lyrics by heart.

"Don't go changing," Cuddles sang to himself. "To try and please me. You never let me down before…" Cuddles was feeling embarrassed now. He wasn't sure if Giggles was awake. Unknowing to Cuddles, she was awake and secretly listening to him sing. She also loved this song. When she realized that he wasn't going to sing anymore, Giggles came through and sung out to continue Cuddles' verse.

"Don't imagine you're too familiar," Giggles sung out. "And I don't see you anymore." Cuddles slowly lifted his head to listen to Giggles' voice. She had a perfect soprano voice, just like him.

"I wouldn't leave you," Cuddles continued, this time with more security. "In times of trouble. We never could have come this far…"

"I'll take the good times," Giggles responded. "I'll take the bad times…"

"I'll take you just the way you are," they both sung. Cuddles let out a small gasp of surprise, but soft enough that Giggles didn't notice it at first.

"Don't go trying some new fashion," Cuddles sung tentatively.

"Don't change the color of your hair," Giggles sung strongly. That lifted any reminisce of Cuddles' fear.

"You always have my unspoken passion," Cuddles sung with more feeling. "Although I may not seem to care…"

"I don't want clever conversation," they both sung. "I never want to work that hard. I just want someone that I can talk to, I want you just the way you are!" The duo was feeling the exact same emotion: love. This feeling topped them all. Topped the feeling of when Cuddles overcame his fear of heights, or when Giggles was surrounded by fans. This feeling stood on its own. It started filling each other with adrenaline.

"I need to know that you will always be," Cuddles began.

"The same old someone that I knew," Giggles continued.

"What will it take till you believe in me," Cuddles started.

"The way that I believe in you," Giggles concluded. They looked at each other, gave a nod of consent, and both sang the last verse together.

"I said I love you and that's forever, and this I promise from the heart. I could not love you any better I love you just the way you are!" They both ended the song on a perfect harmony. They were meant for each other. They looked each other in the eyes, ready for the big moment, when all of a sudden, there was a knock on the door, which woke up Handy and Flippy. When they both realized that they were awake, they lied back down on the floor, as if they were asleep the whole time.

"I'll get it," Handy said through his post-sleeping weary spell. Handy slowly walked towards the door. When he opened it, Pop and Cub was standing there, with their jaws wide open. Who knew Handy had a house like this. Was it even a house? It's more like a mansion.

"Oh… my… God," They said simultaneously.

"You like my crib?" Handy said over his tiredness.

"Yeah, it's great," Pop said, still stunned.

"It's amazing!" Cub shouted. Cuddles pretended to wake up.

"Hey there, guys," Cuddles said. Cuddles seemed as casual as ever, but one thing was buzzing around in his head: _I hope Handy and Flippy weren't awake when Giggles and I were singing_.


	6. Cast Reunion

**The Real HTF**

Chapter 6: Cast Reunion

"Hey there, Cuddles!" Cub shouted excitedly. This was his first _real_ sleepover. "You ready to rock the boat?"

"Who says that anymore?" Handy asked.

"I do," Cub said, as if he was king of the world. "So, did I miss anything?"

"Well, we all listened to the radio," Flippy said, now fully awake. "We all fell asleep."

"Not all of us," Cuddles said under his breath. "Ouch! Giggles!" he shouted in agony. Giggles had stamped very hard on his foot. She _really_ didn't want people to know what had happened.

"Hey, Cuddles, I just noticed this," Handy started. "What happened to your bunny slippers?" In the series, Cuddles, despite being a male rabbit, wore pink bunny slippers.

"I left them at my house," Cuddles said. "Hey, do you still have the pair I gave you?"

"Yes, but they'd be way too small for you now," Handy said. Cuddles gave them to him for a 5 year celebration of _Happy Tree Friends_. Handy hadn't even worn them for a second. He had forgotten about them completely. He ran upstairs into his room, and within a second, he had gotten them down. Cuddles slid his feet into them. A perfect fit!

"Wow, there perfect!" Cuddles exclaimed. "Are you sure you don't want these anymore?"

"It's cool," Handy said. "Keep them for as long as you want."

"Hey guys, enough about slippers," Giggles said. "Let's start the party!" Giggles switched the station on the radio. A rock song that they didn't recognize came on and everyone, including Pop, started dancing. While they were all fairly good, Flippy was the center of attention.

"Flippy," Pop began. "When did you learn to break dance like that?"

"Like what?" Flippy asked. He had a plan formulating in his head. He'd pretend to flip out from this discussion with Pop, and turn this sleepover into a "Fight for survival!" "Are you making fun of me?"

"Oh, no Flippy, it's just that—"Pop started, but was cut off by Flippy.

"Is that any way to treat your co-host?" Flippy exclaimed.

"Hey, calm down, you two," Giggles said, ruining Flippy's idea. "Where _did_ you learn to dance this good?"

"I told you, after the show, I had a lot of spare time on my hands," Flippy explained.

"Hey, you have a Wii!" Cub shouted excitedly. "Can we play that?"

"Sure!" Handy said. "Everyone, grab a remote!" Cuddles and Giggles make it as the first and second players, and Handy and Flippy get as the third and fourth players.

"I'll play the winner, I guess," Cub said. After playing for twenty minutes, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Handy said. He opened the door, revealing Petunia. "Hey there!"

"Hey, Handy!" she said, hugging him hello. "Wow, have you been decorating a little?"

"Just a little bit, thanks to HTF," he said. "Come on in!" Petunia walks in to Handy's palace. In HTF, Petunia played the role of a skunk that had OCD.

"Hey, Petunia!" Cuddles said. "What brings you here?"

"I heard about the sleepover and I just had to come!" she exclaimed. "So have you and Giggles gotten together outside of the show?" she asked quietly.

"Would you excuse us, for just a moment?" Cuddles said to the other people. Petunia and Cuddles went to the kitchen, which was the size of an entire house.

"I take it that you and Giggles are just fine, right?" Petunia asked.

"Well, we haven't seen each other in a long time," Cuddles started. "It's really nice to get back together with old friends."

"Don't think I don't know what you want to do," Petunia said with a sly smile. She could read him like a book.

"What do you mean?" Cuddles asked as if he was clueless.

"You really like Giggles, if you know what I mean," Petunia said.

_Oh, shoot!_ Cuddles thought. "We're just friends, Petunia," Cuddles said nervously. "We're nothing more than friends."

"If you want, I'll get Giggles _warmed up_ for you, if you know what I mean," Petunia offered.

"No thanks!" Cuddles responded instantaneously. "I think it would be better if I did this on my own."

"Hey, Cuddles," Giggles said walking into the kitchen. "Cub and Handy are getting tired, and it's already 10:00, do you want to go to bed?"

"Sure, I'll be there in a minute," Cuddles said casually.


	7. The Sleepover AKA Cuddles and Giggles

**The Real HTF**

Chapter 7: The Sleepover

"Hey, Cuddles, you don't have a sleeping bag!" Handy said.

"None of us do," Cuddles said back. "We drove directly to your place."

"Well, that's okay, because I have enough for everyone!" Handy said excitedly. Handy laid out the sleeping bags across the floor, leaving enough room to walk around.

"Cuddles, you can take this first bag here, if you want," Handy offered casually.

"Thanks, Handy," Cuddles responded, praying that Giggles would be next to him.

"Can I sleep here, next to Cuddles?" Giggles asked Handy.

"Sure, if it's okay with Cuddles," Handy responded.

"It's great with me!" Cuddles said, a little too anxious.

"Well, if it's OK with you, it's Ok with me!" Giggles said. After fifteen minutes, everyone was in a place to sleep. Pop was sleeping next to Cub, being as fatherly as he could, which annoyed Cub a little. _We're not in the show anymore!_ Cub had complained. Nevertheless, everyone was ready for bed, and Handy turned off the house lights, and opened hidden sky windows in the ceiling, letting in the moonlight in the large living room.

"Goodnight, everyone!" Handy said to everyone.

"Goodnight, Handy!" everyone else said. Then, everyone turned in their sleeping bags and fell asleep… all except for Cuddles, who was thinking about Giggles.

"Man, I really like Giggles," Cuddles whispered to himself. "I've never felt like this about someone before. It's just like back about the lake. I was staring at her like a statue! If I want to impress her, I can't scare her!"

Then, Cuddles felt a mysterious tap on his shoulder. He jumped, and turned around, and realized that it was Giggles.

"Hey Cuddles, can I talk to you about something?" Giggles asked nervously.

"Sure, Giggles!" Cuddles replied. "Is everything OK?"

"Well…" she started, and hesitated. "It's just that—"she started again. "I don't want anyone to know, but I had a nightmare."

"What about?" Cuddles asked.

"I dreamt that Flippy flipped out in the middle of the night, and killed everyone except me, and I woke up to a bunch of dead animals." Giggles said with a shudder.

"Shh!" Pop whispered. "Cub is trying to sleep!"

"Anyway, Cuddles, that dream almost scared me to death," Giggles said in a quieter tone. "I _really_ hope you don't mind, but can I sleep in your sleeping bag for tonight?" Giggles asked. She felt stupid for asking such a question. She was sure that he would say "no", but she was in for a surprise.

"Sure, Giggles," Cuddles said easily. "I hope there is enough room for both of us!" Giggles silently crawled out of her sleeping bag and squeezed into Cuddles'. There was just enough room for Cuddles and Giggles to sleep comfortably.

"Cuddles," Giggles started. "Your fur is really soft. No wonder all those people at _Flippin' Burgers_ wanted to hug you!" Giggles said with a smile. Both of them started laughing silently to each other. Then, Cuddles placed a gentle hand on Giggles' shoulder.

"Giggles, it's been so long since we've seen each other," Cuddles said tentatively. "To tell you the truth, I've missed having you around."

"It's been so lonely without having someone to hang out with," Giggles said softly. "I've missed you too!"

"It's been way too lonely without a real friend," Cuddles said. "Not that there's anything wrong with Handy. Oh, Giggles, I've forgotten how strong our friendship was!" Cuddles then turned to face Giggles and she followed suit. They stared deep into each other's eyes. Then, Giggles leaned closer into Cuddles' fur.

"Hey, Cuddles?" Giggles asked. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure, Giggles," Cuddles said. "What is it?"

"Well, I just want to say…" Giggles started nervously. "I don't quite know how to put this, so I'm just going to say it. Uh… Cuddles, I think that we need to get a house like Handy."

"I couldn't agree more," Cuddles said. "Now, what were you _really_ going to say?" Giggles then started to move closer into Cuddles' fur, and slowly wrapped her arms around his body. "Giggles, thanks for hugging me, but what were you going to say?" Cuddles said, trying not to grow impatient. Cuddles then knew he had to do the right thing, so he hugged her back. Cuddles felt his entire body relax when he hugged Giggles.

"Cuddles," Giggles whispered into his ear. "I love you." Then, Cuddles let out a gasp of shock. He felt his entire body go from relaxed, to frozen. He couldn't believe that she said that. Cuddles had a plan in his head, that _he_ was going to be the one to tell her that, but he could barely even think after those three words passed her lips.

"Giggles…" Cuddles managed to stutter out. Cuddles hugged Giggles tighter, and Giggles let out a long sigh of contentment. "I love you too!" he said. Then, they both leaned into each other as close as they could, and brought their lips closer to each other, and silently kissed. Cuddles' eyes widened with surprise, but then closed with content. They both fell asleep in each other's arms. They were meant for each other!


	8. Secret Admirer

**The Real HTF**

Chapter 8: Secret Admirer

Cuddles and Giggles were sound asleep in their sleeping bag, as were all of the other guests at Handy's sleepover. Handy's eyes opened slightly at the still open skylights, now letting in the morning sun. He checked the clock on the wall. _Seven O' clock,_ it read. _I wonder when the other guys will get up._ He thought. Just then, he noticed that Pop and Cub were gone. They must've left early so that they could set up their house for some other cast members. Handy decided to start making breakfast for his guests. He walked towards the kitchen quietly, when he spots Cuddles and Giggles sleeping with each other. He then ran upstairs as quietly and as quickly as he could, grabbed his digital camera, ran back downstairs, and took a snapshot of them cuddling with each other.

"I could use this for something important," Handy whispered. Then, he looked at Petunia in the next bag over. He started walking over to her, and got down on his stomach, and stared at her. He stared at her constant breathing. Up and down. Up and down… "Someday," Handy said to himself. "Just someday." Handy sighed, got up, and walked over to the kitchen.

Two hour later, Cuddles started to awaken. He slowly opened his eyes, to reveal Giggles staring back at him. As soon as he saw her, all the memories of last night came back to him. They slowly moved into each other again, just like last night, and were just about to kiss, when…

"Wake up, Guys!" Handy shouted into the living room. "Breakfast is ready!" This made them stop instantaneously. Giggles jumped out of Cuddles' sleeping bag, to make sure there was no evidence of the sleeping with each other. Flippy and Petunia both lazily got up and trudged into the kitchen, as did Cuddles and Giggles. They saw an entire setup of at least two dozen bowls of food. There were several bowls of fruit, a huge plate of scrambled eggs, three large baskets of muffins, several plates of bacon, and pitchers of orange juice, milk, and so much more!

"Is this all for us?" Cuddles asked in astonishment.

"Yes, it is!" Handy said, proud of his work. "Now come and eat! I spent hours preparing all of this!" All of them sat down and starting eating the buffet of food. After an hour of stuffing their faces, the group went into the living room and turned on the TV.

"Hey, Petunia," Handy said casually.

"Yeah, Handy?" she asked.

"Do you want to get together sometime?" Handy asked nervously.

"Like on a date?" Petunia asked.

"Well, if you want to think of it like that… yes," Handy said as a bead of sweat rolled down his neck.

"Well, sure!" Petunia said with excitement.

"Great!" he responded. He then looked over at Cuddles.

"Hey, Handy," Cuddles started. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Sure, Cuddles," Handy responded. Cuddles then led the orange-furred beaver into the kitchen, which was cluttered with the dishes from breakfast.

"Okay, Handy," Cuddles started. "Where is it?"

"Where's what?" Handy asked.

"The picture," stated Cuddles.

"What picture?" Handy asked.

"The picture that you took when Giggles and I were sleeping together!" Cuddles demanded. Handy felt his body freeze. How could've he known that he took that picture? He had been so careful to make sure that it was a secret.

"How'd you know I took it?" Handy asked in shock.

"I saw the flash from the camera," Cuddles answered. He then pulled the camera from his pocket. "And, you left it in front of my sleeping bag."

"Don't worry, Cuddles. I won't tell anyone," Handy assured him.

"You better not," Cuddles said fiercely. Then, there was a knock at the door, and Cuddles went to answered it. When he opened to door, no one was there. He looked around to see if it was someone playing a prank, but he couldn't see anyone. He shrugged his shoulders and was about to go back inside when the rabbit saw a note on the ground. He picked it up. It was stapled shut, as if it was something strictly confidential. On one side it read: To: Cuddles. On the other side, it read: From: Unknown. Cuddles ran back to the group to show them the note.

"Open it!" Giggles said excitedly. "It could be interesting!" Cuddles opened the letter carefully, trying not to rip the paper. He read the piece of paper out loud.

"Dear Cuddles," he started. "I have kept my eye on you for some time, and I believe I have found your whereabouts. I have a secret crush on you and have seen you in the show _Happy Tree Friends._ If you want to find out who I am, you can meet me at _Flippin Burgers_ this Friday at Five. You may bring two people with you. From: unknown."

"Sounds like a dumb prank," Flippy said, changing the channel on the TV.

"Well, does anyone want to go to _Flippin Burgers_ this Friday at Five?" Cuddles asked.


	9. Flippin' Burgers

**The Real HTF**

Chapter 9:

"You can't be serious!" Giggles shouted. "What if this 'admirer' of yours is a complete psychopath!" Everyone stared at Giggles in disbelief. Giggles was not one to yell; she never was.

"The note did say that Cuddles could bring two friends," Handy said, which calmed the raging chipmunk down.

"I've already decided that I'm bringing Giggles with me," Cuddles said, which made Giggles' face aglow with joy. "However, I haven't decided who else will come."

"Well, if anyone else is going, it's going to be me," Flippy stated as he stood up like the war veteran he was in the series.

"I think that I should be the one who should go," Handy said. "I'd like to see the reaction when Cuddles' admirer sees that I _do_ have hands."

"Do I _have _to bring two friends?" Cuddles asked. "If this person wants to ask me on a date, I think I only need one person to go with me."

"Then, why does it have to be Giggles?" Handy asked. "Can't it be Flippy or me?"

"I want it to be Giggles for my own reasons," Cuddles said defiantly. "C'mon, Giggles, let's go to _Flippin' Burgers._"

"But, it's only 12:00!" Giggles said. "We still have another five hours to wait!" Just then, there was another knock on the door. This time, Giggles went to answer it. She looked around outside and saw no one standing outside or running away. Giggles looked around a final time and spotted another note at her feet. She picked it up and examined it. It looked just like the note Cuddles had brought in previously, but this time, it had no address or name on the cover. It was stapled shut just like the other one too. She walked back to the group and opened it. She also read it aloud.

"Dear Cuddles, I am on my way to _Flippin' Burgers_ right now, if you want to talk. Hope to see you there. From – FP."

"Who's FP?" Flippy asked, changing the TV channel. "Still sounds like a prank to me."

"Well, let's go!" Cuddles said, walking Giggles out to the Flippy's car. Cuddles got in the driver's seat with Giggles right next to him. When he started the ignition, Giggles asked him a question.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Giggles asked tentatively.

"I want to meet this person," Cuddles stated. "And besides, I like making my fans happy." Cuddles then backed out of the driveway, and took off for the restaurant. Within ten minutes, they had pulled into the parking lot. The duo walked into the doors, and everyone turned to look at them. There was a minute of silence. A full sixty seconds, which seemed like hours to the tree friends.

"Is there something wrong?" Cuddles asked nervously.

"I… can't believe it!" a fan shouted. "Cuddles and Giggles are on a date!"

"No we're not!" Giggles shouted back. "We're just meeting someone here!" She then looked down and saw that that Cuddles was holding her hand. "Cuddles!" she gasped. Then, she threw his hand down and slapped him in the face.

"Ow!" Cuddles yelled in agony, then rubbing the place where she slapped him. Everyone in the room gasped in shock. One fan came over to comfort Cuddles.

"Are you OK?" she asked. "I hope she didn't hurt you too badly; because you're my favorite character!"

"I'm fine," Cuddles him. She then wrapped his arms around the canary yellow rabbit. The temptation was too great for her. Cuddles was used to this; many fans liked to hug him. So, being the gentle rabbit he is, he hugged her back, just as tightly.

"Giggles, how could you!" shouted another fan. "I thought you loved Cuddles!" The fan then slapped Giggles hard before walking out of the building.

"I see that you have arrived, Cuddles," someone said. "I also see that you brought a friend with you. Do you plan on staying long?" Just then, the group of people surrounding the duo dispersed, revealing the figure that was talking to them. He or she was wearing a long blue robe with a hood, which covered most of his/her face. "Come closer, I need to talk to you," the person said. Cuddles and Giggles begrudgingly moved forward towards the figure. Cuddles could tell that it was a tree friend by the height of him/her. Then, the tree friend pulled his/her hood off, to reveal her face. Giggles could tell that it was a female tree friend underneath the robes. She was wearing a mask that looked like the Phantom of the Opera. Cuddles was the first one to realize who the admirer was. He couldn't believe it.


	10. A Fight For a Rabbit

**The Real HTF**

Chapter 10: A Fight for a Rabbit

"It's you!" Cuddles shouted at the figure that stood in front of Giggles and him. "I knew it was you!" Cuddles shouted. Then, Giggles realized who the "admirer" was.

"Flaky?" Giggles shouted at the top of her lungs. "_You_ like Cuddles!" Flaky played the role of a shy porcupine in HTF.

"Yes, I do," Flaky said. "Is there something wrong with that?" Now, Giggles realized what Flaky was _really_ after. She wanted Giggles to tell her about what's going on with her and Cuddles. She also thought that by shocking her, she wouldn't think twice about it and she would shout it out loud for everyone, including Cuddles, to hear. Giggles saw through it all and managed to pull Flaky to the side of the restaurant so no one could hear.

"What's wrong, Giggles?" Flaky asked innocently.

"I know what you're doing," Giggles said firmly. "Don't even try to fool me."

"What do you mean?" Flaky asked confused. She'd never seen Giggles like this.

"You want me to tell everyone here about me and Cuddles, don't you?" Giggles shouted. "Don't even think about lying to me!"

"Actually, no, I'm not trying to tell anyone," Flaky said calmly. "To tell you the truth, I was sent as a diversion."

"What!" Giggles screamed so loudly, the whole restaurant seemed to vibrate.

"The _real _admirer is over there," Flaky said with a nervous laugh. The crowd seemed to be standing away from the admirer, and Cuddles could see why. The admirer was wearing a long blue robe similar to Flaky's, but it covered the admirer's body completely. Cuddles looked closely at the admirer. He or she looked very familiar to Cuddles, but then again, all of the tree friends looked similar to him.

"Well, hello there, Cuddles," The Admirer said in a voice that resembled Darth Vader. Cuddles stepped forward as slowly as he could.

"He-hello," Cuddles stammered. Cuddles still remained a safe distance away from The Admirer. He or she looked like a very shady character. What was his or her goal?

"I see you brought your friend," The Admirer said coldly. "The pink one, right?"

"Ye-yes," Cuddles replied. "Her name is—" Cuddles started, but The Admirer cut him off.

"I know who she is," The Admirer said. "Just remember: You've been warned."


End file.
